Dearest
by Stella Flametongue
Summary: [AU Post TAY] The dead never rose from the grave, after all. If that were true, all of the heartache would have never happened and Cecil wouldn't be king. ONESHOT ; Reviews welcome.


**A/N:** This is a part of an AU my friend and I made about the twins. Set three years after TAY, but with a lot of differences. It was mainly 'How would Palom act if the two people he cared so deeply about died for him?' that inspired this. So... yeah. Oops.

 **Disclaimer of doom:** I do not own FFIV or its characters. I partially own the idea and fully own the OC used for this story.

* * *

Three years, and she was still certainly a handful. The young orphaned blonde whom Captain Biggs had found on a patrol had quickly become a part of his life once Cecil had brought her to Mysidia. Palom had been in need of a distraction, and the tale of her lighting an unsuspecting white mage afire and then leading them all on a wild goose chase reminded him of when he was younger and more naïve. Those times with Porom had been a blast, and he found himself sorely missing her more as he looked into those big blue eyes. The same pout, the same way of laughing... Or, perhaps, it was his mind wishing his twin back to his side.

And yet, she never did reappear. The dead never rose from the grave, after all. If that were true, all of the heartache would have never happened and Cecil wouldn't be king. Palom had grown used to the silence, but he'd grown up in such a short amount of time.

Estheria was part of the reason, too. At nine years old, she had already turned out to be a handful for him. Though, he would still be highly grateful that she had distracted him from grieving over Porom and Leonora. It was sonething he wouldn't ever forget, even when she was making a name for herself in the world as a great mage from Mysidia. Palom would be responsible for it, for teaching her how to properly use her magic. It was something he hoped he lived to see.

"Back here again? She's gonna be mad you're slacking."

Palom looked over his shoulder before giving Estheria a small smile and looking back at the gravestone. White lilies grew around it, being Porom's favourite flower. Estheria knelt down beside him, fingers gently touching the petal of one of the daisies.

"You were crying for her last night, begging her to wake up. Screaming her name," Estheria pointed out, lifting her hand from the daisy. "I'm surprised you're not trying to sleep again."

"Can't. I need to be here for the people... And you," Palom said, ruffling the pre-teen's hair. She frowned and straightened it back out before standing up and dusting herself off.

"She probably would want you to get a restful sleep. I can practice my Sleep spell on you, if you'd like." She offered it without missing a beat and, for once, Palom accepted. A dreamless sleep was what he needed, and she'd been coming along well in her training so far. Getting up off the grass and dusting himself off, Palom gave a last look to Porom's grave before heading back to Mysidia with Estheria.

At the edge of the town was the house Palom had asked to be built, away from the others but not too far as to not be a part of Mysidia itself. It was a quaint two-story home much like the old one that the Maenad had destroyed, but the only difference was that it was built with help from Baron's relief effort to the world instead of the other mages.

Estheria brewed some tea, setting the fireplace alight with a snap of her fingers. Fire had been the first element she mastered, and with gusto. The girl could probably be a pyromaniac if she was left to her own devices, but Palom had a duty to uphold. She was his apprentice, and a fiesty one at that.

"A key point is to relax when you sleep." A cup of tea was handed to him, and he was ushered to the nest of blankets and pillows near the fireplace. Unlike the brisk cold outside, it was warm where he sat, drinking the tea and listening to the 12-year-old hum as she pulled down the spellbook that contained the status-effect spells. She flipped the book to a marked page and rubbed her hands together before taking the empty cup from him. With a murmur of the incantation, Estheria had him asleep in no time.

* * *

It seemed like she was mastering spells every time he turned around. Without Porom, however, Estheria couldn't really understand how to use the white arts. It was something Palom couldn't teach her, and no white mage would spare an ounce of time teaching her. They all said she was smart, and could get it on her own. So, when they took a trip to the woods to find a fruit-bearing tree and got attacked by a zombie from Mount Ordeals, Estheria had to administer a potion instead of a Cure spell. She tried, but it had caused him pain. Perhaps he'd go to Baron and ask Rosa to teach her the white arts while leaving the destructive arts to him, but then wouldn't he be abandoning her?

Bringing it up one night over dinner, which was a savory stew and bread to dip in said stew, Estheria was confused at first, and then decided to accept, all in one go. She'd leave the next day, and be back within a month. That was fine, she would have a good teacher in place of Porom.

That night was different. The wind was a lot chillier than usual, and Estheria wasn't in bed. Palom panicked, searching the entirety of the house before going to find her somewhere outside. She was standing in front of Porom's grave, eyes closed and probably sleepwalking. Palom put a hand on her shoulder and her eyes opened. Turning to look at her teacher for the past few years, a warm smile curled her lips.

"I knew you'd come, Palom."

He stopped. The way she spoke was familiar, but.. No, it couldn't be...

"I'm sorry for leaving you like I did. But you've grown up so much. I'm.." Porom shook her head. "I wish, sometimes, that the Maenads never attacked us. That they never stole Rydia's summons. Maybe then, I'd still be alive."

Palom dropped to his knees, pulling Estheria into a hug. "I'm sorry, Porom. I'm so sorry.."

"It's okay, Palom. Live and learn. Take care of this little one... She needs you more than you know. After all, she thinks of you as her father."

With those words, Porom was gone. Estheria slumped forward, fast asleep, and Palom carried her back to bed. Sitting by her bedside, Palom wondered why Porom had used her as a conduit.. and then had a thought. Maybe she was trying to tell him she was always there, and brought Estheria to him. Tomorrow, on the way to Baron, they'd attempt a Twincast spell.. Just to test the theory brewing in his mind.

Blowing out the candle, Palom stood and left the room. Pausing at the door, he looked back at Estheria's sleeping form and smiled contently.

"Sleep well, Estheria."


End file.
